Spork and Knife

You can feel the holiday rush (or is it panic?) as we close in on the final week before Christmas.  Thousands of people are racking their brains to come up with the perfect gifts for their friends and family. 

Put down the cashmere scarf and say no to another pair of gloves.  I have the perfect gift… for your wine drinking friends.  (Not to exclude anybody.  I guess they can be used for other things as well.)

Its’ something that you can never have enough of, doesn’t go out of style and won’t be too small after consuming an entire batch of Christmas cookies.

 Do you want to know yet?   

Wine glasses.  For a wine drinker it’s about about paying respect to the wine you are drinking by pouring it into a nice glass.  The $2 variety serve their purpose, but for someone who values the entire wine drinking experience, a good glass is appreciated.   

Which do I recommend, you ask?  In all my years (no jokes please) of sniffing, swirling and tasting I’ve found Riedel to be a classy choice.  

Depending on your price point, they have something for everyone.  As their website puts it, you can spring for the “pricier” collection, find a midway point with a “moderate” collection or go for the most economical/”competitive” collection.       

While I’d love to someday own a full collection of the “Sommeliers” hand blown-glass ($30-$100 per glass), for now the more moderate “Vinum” suits me just fine.  In fact, I actually prefer the more clean-lined look of the Vinum over the Sommiliers.  Perhaps my taste will change with age…we’ll see.  

And at $40 for a pair, add a bottle of wine (or not) and you’ve got a great gift! 

I personally own quite a few glasses of the Vinum Pinot Noir (because I drink a lot of that particular grape) and would never turn down a gift of a few more.  (hint, hint) 

You can find Riedel all over the place, but head to their website for a comprehensive list.  Two stores that come to mind are William Sonoma and Sur La Table.  Around DC I know Rodmans carries them as well. 

So to all you wine drinkers out there…you’re welcome.  Here’s hoping you find a little glass under the tree this year.  And to all of the stressed out shoppers.  Breath easy, you can scratch a few more names off of your list.